Oscar washburne



(No Model.)

o. WASHBUMIE.` FEEDER FOR COTTON GINS.

No. 328,159. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

UNITED -STATES oSoAR WASHRURNE, or SING SING,

-NEW YORK, AssIGNoR To MARY E.

VASHBURNE, OF SAME PLACE.

FEEDER FORCOTTvON-GINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,159, dated October `13, 1885.

Application filed May 8, 1855.

I will describe a feeder for eotton-gins embodying my mprovement,aud then point out the various features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure lis a central vertical section of aself-feeding cottongin embodying my improvement, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same having the front plate of the breast removed. Fig. 3 is aview from the inside of one of the side frames and supporting-standards for carrying the apron.

Fig. 4 is a sectional front view of the same.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section illustrating a modification of certain parts.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the different figures.

A designates the frame-work of the machine,which may be of any suitable form and material.

B designates a hopper, having rollers C arranged along the bottom for carrying the seed-cotton horizontally forward to a feedingcylinder D. These rollers C are rotated in the same direction by means of a train of gearwheels a a. A ratchet-wheel b is secured to the end of one of the rollers C. A pawLo, is pivoted to a lever, d, and engages with the ratchet-wheel b. This lever d is fulcrumed on a pin, e, secured to the hopper, and is actuated through a pitman-rod, f,from a crankdisk, g, secured to the shaft of the feeding-cylinder D. The feeding-cylinder D may be of ordinary construction, consisting of a hollow drum of wood provided with projecting pins or spikes arranged at Suitable distances apart on its entire surface. This cylinder is mounted on a shaft, t', jouarnaled in suitable bearings in the sides of the hopper. On one end of the shaft t' is secured a gear-wheel,j, which receives motion from a pinion,k,secured to the shaft of a pulley, Z, over which a belt, m, passes from a Serial No. 164,753. (No model.)

| pulley,a,on the shaftM of thesaws M. Aplate, h,is hinged to the stationary part h,and is capable of being dropped at intervals to pass out the rubbish accumulated thereon.

E is an endless apron,which may be of any suitable construction,being here shown as consisting of wooden slats E which are made independent and separated from each other. They are secured to endless belts E2 E3, of exible material passing over rollers EE5. These rollers are journaled in sliding frames ILE E7, and are Shown with their central portions of reduced diameter.' The upper roller, E, is journaled in boxes E8, vertically adj ustable within slots in the frames Ef ET by means of the screws Ff', and the lower roller, E5, is journaled directly into the frames E6 El. By this means any slack inthe endless apron may be taken up.

The frames E Il7 are supported by the standards F,secured to the hopper,and having flanges F to embrace the sides of the frames E6 El. The ends of the upper roller, E4, pass through the slots in the standards to afford additional support.

G is a shaft journaled in the standards F, and having pinions G to engage with racks within slots of the frames E6 El. By this means the aprons may be raised or lowered. A- pawl, G2, pivoted to one of the standards F, and adapted to engage with the ratchet-wheel G3, secured to theshaft G, serves to hold the apron in any desired position. Motion is imparted to the apron in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 by means of the ratchetwheel H, secured to one end of the roller E4, and pawl,H, adapted to engage therewith and pivoted to an arm, H2, swinging loosely on the end of the roller E, alongside the ratchetwheel H. This arm is actuated through a pitman, H3, by the crank-disk g. By connecting the pitman Izl3 to the arm H2 nearer its center of motion, provision for which may easily be made, different speeds may be iinparted to the apron.

In lieu of the endless apron, a series of two or more rollers, t, having a longitudinal ribbed or a plain smooth surface, may be used, as shown in Fig. 5. These rollers may be journalcd in sliding frames capable of vertical adjustment, and'be rotated in the same direction by means of gear-wheels t, afiixed to their journals and intermediate pinions, deriving motion from any suitable source.

I designates guide-plates, of zinc or other suitable material, vertically inclined to con duct that portion of the seed-cotton delivered upon them by the feeding-cylinder into the ends of the breast of the gin. These plates I are preferably secured to the hinged coverplate I, which is held in place by the button I2. Thus access to the guide plates is afforded.

J is the breast or rollbox, having a cone, K, provided with thin parallel and equidistant ribs or iiangesV r, arranged at an angle with theheads K of the breast. l

At the junction of thev cone and heads K corner pieces, s, are pro-vided, corresponding in angle andr projection tov the ribs. These ribs and corner pieces may be either integral with the cone or otherwisel secured to it, and may be of any suitable material-such, for instance, as wood, iron, or glass. The cottonroll impinges against these ribs and cornerl pieces.

L designates ribs forming the grate of the breast and having those portions of their upper part-'s beyond the saws inclined laterally to correspond with the inclination of the ribs r.

By means of the ribs r and angular portionsl of the ribs L the cotton-roll is caused totravel from the ends of the breast toward thecenter of the same, allowing the end saws to have freshy unginned seed cotton toy act on constantly. n

The breast, consisting of the cone K, ribs L, and heads K', is adjustable relatively toY the saws by means of the hinges J and the setscrews J 2.

N designates a brush cylinder inclosed in alchamber. (Here shown as formed inthe lower portionI of the frame-work.) A

The brush-cylinder and the saws maybe constructed and operated in the usual man*- ner.

The'brush-cylinder is driven by a belt, N', passi-ng fromV a pulley, M2, on the saw-shaft, over a pulley N2 on the shaft of thel brushcylinder, and around anidler, N3.

I am aware an apron has been used: to pre# vent clogging the feed-roller, in combination with a small picker-roller placedimmediately below the apron and in the same vertical line; but by my improvement `I locate the apron'slightly rearward of the feeding-cylininder and use it in combination with a feedcylinder of large diameter, by which arrangement impurities or extraneous matter are less liable to be carried into` the breast of the gin, for the reason that the seed-cotton is caused to travel an upward path while passing-.between the apron and the feed-cylinder, and all rubbish-such as sand, pebbles, rocks, nails, matches, and other hard substances the pawl c to raise it.

' the cone.

little obstruction is afforded to the passing of i impurities along with the seed-cotton.

O designates a board, arm, or analogous device, connected at the upper end by hinges q to the stationary part it', and adapted normally to rest against the cone K. At one end it is provided with a pin, g', that extends .through a slot in one of the heads K to the outside of that head. A. rod, O', is connected at one end to the pin g', and at the other end to a lever, O2, hung loosely on a journal of one of the rollers C, and having at the top an eccentric or cam surface, which rnay'actv upon It' the cotton below the board O becomes too solidly packed, it will cause the board O to swing away from Then the lever Owill be rocked so as to lift the pawl c and stop vthe feed of cotton until the board O is allowed to fall back to its normal position by reason of the yielding or receding of the cotton below it.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a feeder for cotton-gins, the combination, with carrying-rollers, of a feeding-cylinder of large diameter, a space below the feeding-cylinder adjacent to the carrying-rollers, and a vertically adjustable endless apron movable in a direction contrary to that of the rotation of the cylinder, arranged slightly to the rearward of said cylinder and having its lower portion extending into a plane below that of the top of said cylinder, substantially as described, whereby cotton will be fed directly upward from the carrying-rollers by the cylinder between the latter and the endf less apron, and whereby the endless apron will force the cotton backward from the cylinder, and rubbish from the cotton will be caused to fall by gravity into the space below said cylinder.

2. In a feeder for cotton-gins, the combination, with the endless apron E, of rollers Ei E5, adjustable journal boxes E8, screws- E, frames ESE", a' rock-shaft, G, pinions G', ratchet-wheel G3, pawl G2, and standards F, sub stantially as specified.

3. In a feeder for cotton-gins, the combination, with the endless apron E, the rollers E'i E5, frames E El, standards F, ratchet-wheel H, pawlH, swinging arm H2, pitman H3, and crank-disk g, substantially as specified.

OSCAR WASHBURNE. Witnesses:

F. L. RICHARDSON, Jos. GAINs.

IOS

vCorrection in Letters Patent No.` 328,159.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 828,159, granted October 13, 1885, upon the application of Oscar Washburne, of Sing Sing, New York, for an improvementvin Feeders for Cotton-Grins;7 errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In lines 15, 19, 23, 38, 82, and 93, page 2, the word cone should be stricken out and the Word cofve inserted instead; in line 121, saine page, the Word rock-shaft should be stricken out and the Word rack-shaft inserted instead; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. l

Signed, countersigned, and sea-led this 27th day of October, A. D. 1885.

H. L. MULDROW, Acting Secretary of the Interior.

Countersigned M. V. MONTGOMERY,

Commissioner of Patents. 

